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, 2009 |
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Read on to learn more about Michelle and how BetterBudgeting.com began! Contact
Michelle
Michelle Jones, money-saving expert and frugal mom of 4, is the Founder and Publishing Editor of BetterBudgeting.com and Living a Better Life™ The Free Money Saving Tips Ezine. She is the author of several books and publications including... 2001 - Dealing with
Debt (A free ebook for subscribers.)
Happily married to the love of her life for 23 years with four very active children, Michelle was a full-time stay-at-home mom for over 10 years before she founded the online publishing company Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc., in 2001. She knows firsthand what it takes to raise a family on a tight budget! Unlike many very fortunate families today, Michelle did not stay home with her children because they could "afford it" (which was quite the contrary during this time of their life). She stayed home because she and her husband, Wayne, felt it was more important than anything else they could do and they were both willing to make whatever financial sacrifices it would take. During those early years of caring for their family on an extremely tight budget, Michelle quickly became known by family and friends as a "coupon queen" and savvy bargain shopper. Having been raised in a single-parent home with frugality being a necessity for most of her life she instinctively knew just what to do. She also made a point to share her saving secrets with anyone who needed to learn more about saving money or living on a budget, which eventually led to the start up of BetterBudgeting.com. For many years Michelle successfully fed her family on a frugal grocery budget of only $30 per week (good home cooked meals--not just macaroni and cheese or beans and rice every day) which resulted in the publishing of her first cookbook Frugal Family Recipes: From Our Home to Yours, and of course, her grocery tip site at GrocerySavingTips.com. First a writer, then BetterBudgeting.com... In 2000, after the birth of their fourth and last child, Michelle's desire to encourage other families who are struggling to make ends meet greatly increased. She began writing her family finance column online, Living a Better Life™, sharing her free money-saving tips with consumers of every financial background. The column quickly became popular with online readers and was soon selected by another publishing company as a special weekly feature. In the spring of 2001, she founded the free Web site BetterBudgeting.com and monthly Ezine; named after her column. In 2003, she added the free grocery and coupon resource to the BetterBudgeting family, GrocerySavingTips.com, where she regularly shares her best tips for saving money on groceries, with and without coupons! Life is full of challenges... Michelle regularly encourages her readers to "Make the most of life, no matter what your circumstances are, or how much money you have or do not have in the bank!" A cancer survivor (Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 19), she is, without a doubt, earnestly dedicated to sharing her passion for Living a Better Life™. With countless hours of work on the Web site and ezine every month and after living on top of a mountain in SW Virginia for 4 years (within a short walk from the Blue Ridge Parkway--hence the company name Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.) and then in the foothills of North Carolina for another 3, she now works from her home office in Metro Atlanta. Her Blue Ridge Mountains license plate hangs proudly over the office entrance, serving as a peaceful reminder that God continues to bring us through the storms and valley's of life, no matter how impossible they may seem. Due to her husband's career in business management their family has been relocated many times throughout the South (they have lived in several states including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina). Michelle and her husband have experienced a wide range of financial challenges and difficult stages of family life throughout their marriage. To make a long story short... in the most difficult years their family almost lost everything financially, not just once, but twice. During that time their family grew from a size of two to six and endured a total of eleven surgeries, several job losses (two of those job losses occurred while they were expecting!), and many out-of-state job transfers which can be financially devastating to a young family. Though it's true that finances have been quite a challenge for this Jones family at times (and money problems continue to be reported as the #1 cause of divorce), their marriage and faith in God have only become stronger through each passing year. Michelle and her family try their best to focus on the blessings in their daily life and the beautiful rainbows that God always provides after the storms, including all the wonderful people they've met along their journey from struggle to success. IT HAS ALL BEEN A BLESSING. "All things work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28 (NIV)
We are dedicated to helping other families... By necessity, Michelle learned to be frugal and more budget conscious to get her family through the tough times (which she fondly refers to as "learning the frugal art of living better on less"). And now, she remains dedicated to helping other families do the same! As the publishing editor and main contributor for Living a Better Life™, it's not difficult to see that Michelle puts her heart into every issue. She hand selects each and every featured article and carefully reviews every recommended resource along with the help of her Senior Writers - Karen Kuebler (Arizona), Larry Wiener (California), Jennifer Wallis (Oklahoma), Rachel Keller (Virginia) and her treasured assistants, making sure that each issue provides a wealth of free money-saving tips and resources for thousands of families who visit us each day... from all around the world! * * * Contact
Michelle
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